8 Ways To Prepare Your Home For Fall

Kids are getting ready to head back to school and before you know it the leaves will change colors. But before you start planning your favorite fall activities, make sure you prepare your home for fall. Here is a list of 8 home maintenance tasks to perform before this autumn.

Prepare Your Home For Fall

There are many reasons why fall home maintenance is important. As the temperatures start to cool, there are many important tasks that will help you save money on heating and protect your home from the colder and wetter weather ahead. Here are a few ideas to prepare your home for fall:

1. Check Your Gutters

Your gutters are your first line of defense against water damage. With the leaves start to fall, it’s important that they are clear, as a clogged drain can lead to water entering your home, causing wall and ceiling damage. This is also a situation that can lead to cracks in your foundation or mold problems, making gutter maintenance something you should keep high on your priority list.

2. Upgrade Your Lightbulbs

With the coming of fall, the days get shorter and the nights get longer. This means that making sure your home has proper lighting both for safety and for your family’s comfort is something to seriously consider. If you haven’t already, this is the perfect chance to upgrade to energy-saving LED bulbs, especially for outdoor lighting which may be on for extended periods of time during the colder months.

3. Attic Insulation

Check the insulation in your attic and walls to make sure that cold air doesn’t get inside and cause you to spend more than you need to on heating. This is also the perfect chance to make sure that your attic has not become home to pests who may be seeking warmth and shelter when the cold comes.

4. Have Your Fireplace/Chimney Inspected

Do you have a chimney or a fireplace? If you want to prepare your home for fall, then it’s important to hire a professional to perform an inspection and cleaning. It’s also important to make sure that the flue is tested for a tight seal. You can learn more about chimney safety here.

5. Don’t Forget Your Landscaping

When the cooler months arrive, it’s important to think about your landscaping. Many homeowners have landscape plants which will need special protection during the late fall and winter months so they don’t lose moisture. Fertilization of your trees and shrubs is also something which many homeowners forget about, but this will help them have the nutrition they need to make it through the winter and thrive in spring.

6. Tree Pruning

While you are thinking about your landscaping, it’s good to prune your trees and bushes before fall and winter. Trees can add significant beauty to your property, but when winter storms occur, they can become a real hazard if they aren’t maintained properly. If you have trees that are close to your home, driveway, or power lines, make sure that they receive the proper attention so that snow and ice don’t weigh down large branches and cause them to fall. This will also encourage healthy long-term growth, which will be all the more important when the springtime comes.

7. Ceiling Fans

Something many homeowners fail to consider is switching the direction of your ceiling fans when the weather becomes cooler. This is a simple trick but can save you considerably on heating in over the colder months. Since warm air rises, switching the blade rotation from counterclockwise to clockwise will make sure that the warm air is pushed back down.

Check Your Alarms

While you’re in home maintenance mode, be sure to take the opportunity to check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. These are things that many homeowners forget about but are essential when it comes to keeping you safe. This is especially critical if you have a fireplace or wood burning stove you will be using. A simple trick is using daylight savings time as a way to remember to check the batteries.